Wireless routers, eh? Tricky things. They promise so much, and yet seem to be one of the most complicated and annoying parts of using a computer, when really connecting to the internet should be so simple.

Lets say you’ve just been down to PC World or BestBuy and bought yourself a new laptop - it’s wireless, great! Now you can get rid of all those ugly wires draped around your home and connect wirelessly to the internet - welcome to the future! But you need a wireless router.

Please don’t just wander into your local store and take the “expert” advice of the 17-year old sales assistant. A little research in advance will pay you dividends, and at the very least will save you from being one of the bewildered souls in the store staring at a wall of boxes wondering what on earth a Gigabit cable router with MIMO access is. Read on for the three key things you need to know.

Firstly - check if you can get a free router. Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) will now provide a free wireless router for their customers, so it’s worth a quick phone call to your ISP to see if you can get one. It may not be the greatest router ever, but it’s free, and free beats any price.

Router Types

Assuming you don’t qualify for a free router, you’ll need to buy one. The first thing to know is that routers breakdown into 2 main categories. Different manufacturers call them different things, and there is some blurring of the lines. However, essentially the two categories depend upon how you get your Internet access. If you get it from a cable provider who also sends you TV down a fibre-optic cable (Virgin in the UK) then you need what’s known as cable or broadband router. This type of router does not have a modem built in.

The other type of router is for phone-line connections and this is known by many names, including ADSL, DSL, modem router, and BT router. So if you get your Internet via a phone-line then you need one of these routers.

Wireless Standards

Secondly, there are a number of different wireless standards. Unless you need the very cheapest router available, do not buy a wireless G or 54Mbps router. These are old technologies and will slow down what should otherwise be a faster Internet connection. In my opinion, it is a real crime that major stores are still selling these types of router.

What you should be looking for is Wireless N, also known as 802.11n. This is the new standard and is not only much quicker than the old wireless B and G standards, but it is also a stronger signal meaning it reaches further and provides a more stable connection. Unfortunately there are a few variations with Wireless N around when the router was released, Just know that if it says “Draft 2” or “Full N” on the box, then these are better than “draft n” or “Draft 1”. All wireless N routers are backwards compatible so even if you have an older laptop or computer connecting, you should still go for this standard.

MiMO stands for Multi-In-Multi-Out. It doesn’t really mean anything other than the router has multiple antennae, which most routers have had for some time. Do not let this distract you.

The manufacturer of the router won’t normally make a lot of difference, but you’re probably better off sticking with one of the bigger names like Belkin, Cisco, D-Link, Linksys and Netgear.

Where to Buy

Lastly, where to shop. A lot of unusual places sell wireless routers. John Lewis and Argos are just two names you might not have considered. The best deals are often to be found on-line and you’ll find that even the big names, e.g. PC World, offer a substantial discount at their online store over the physical stores. So do shop around.

Summary

Wireless routers are a tricky beast, but once you know the type of router you want and the wireless standard, you are in much better shape. There are a number of other factors you might want to take into consideration, and if you are looking to spend more than the minimum on a router or have had problems with routers in the past, then I would highly recommend using one of the wireless router wizards (like the one on my site) to find the perfect router for you.

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This guest post is written by Mark Richardson, one of the founders of a website dedicated to helping you find the best router. Mark can be contacted on mark at bestrouter dot co dot uk.

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